The Daily Mail insinuating that Obama is using his daughter Malia to send a message to G8 leaders when she was spotted wearing “not one, but two T-shirts with an anti-nuclear message.” 

The comments were (surprisingly?) not from local Daily Mail readers, but Americans unhappy with Obama and eager to lecture young Malia on what not to wear:

Great, now he is using his children as political statements yet. Can you take him and we will elect another president?
- zelunacafe, Chicago, USA, 08/7/2009 23:38

That Logo belongs to the Hippies, it’s called the broken peace sign, the cross upside down. Miss Obama should not have worn such a logo.
- Carole, Orlando, Fl. U.S.A., 08/7/2009 23:26

I’m sure the ten-year-old Miss Obama’s rationale regarding nuclear arms, the missile shield which currently protects our European allies etc. is equally as well thought-out as her father’s. Which is to say, totally naive and extremely dangerous for millions. Nuclear technology is here to stay, and it is a very foolish thought indeed to discard your own protection and putting your faith in the despots of the world doing the same.
- Charles, Virginia, 08/7/2009 23:25

When Europe crumbles under the feet of the Muslim hordes it will not be a good thing but it will be ironic. Europe, I fear for your future. 

The peacenik is always shocked when the crowbar slaps up the side of his head and when the brain is too damaged to spout forth words of righteousness, what then? Who stays the hand of violence when the blows are raining down? 

Remember, Diplomacide is dangerous.

* In reference to this.

From a Slate article by Anne Applebaum on the explosion in Gaza:

The Israelis—both on the “peacenik” left and the more bellicose right—believe that the only way to prevent Hamas from firing rockets is to fight back.

The article links to an interview with an Israeli author, who states his opinion that the Israeli left  supports the violence in Gaza.  Given our own experience in the US of self labeled left-wing Democrats supporting the war in Iraq, I wonder how many leftists in Israel truly do support the warfare in Gaza.  How many “peaceniks” in particular.  That single  line from Applebaum makes it sound as though all of them do.

This speech alone should disqualify him from the presidency. Using the talking points of OMentors like Ayers and Wright, Obama proudly says: 

“I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems… I will not weaponize space… I will slow development of future combat systems… I will institute a ‘Defense Priorities Board’ to ensure the quadrennial defense review is not used …”

In short: We surrender to the world.

Credit: Corbis/Bettman archive

Before getting to the killers let us be patient and consider the concept of literary improvisation. I know I am terribly boring but I promise a lot of blood blood blood in this post – plus the relationship between literature and social life being complex we’ll have to wander a bit before we finally dive into base butchery .

Literary improvisation is not far from musical improvisation, a topic we have talked about in a previous post. We will not define the concept, being it self-explanatory.

(Can James Joyce’s stream of consciousness be in some way related to what we have said above – literary improvisation, not base butchery, in case you don’t get it wrong ? Hard to say. I don’t believe it to be very far from it. It is to be noted though that writers at times cleverly build what seems spontaneous, and in literature what counts is the final result: things do work or they do not).

Connecting literary improvisation with digression we will mention again that nice passage by J. D. Salinger where Holden, the adolescent protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye, narrates how he had to undergo the oral expression lesson which consisted in letting a student speak of any topic, and each time the student didn’t stick to the point all the boys in class had to yell “Digression!!” at him (you can read this passage in a former post of ours). Holden instead liked speeches full of digressions and the novel itself, if not very similar in its structure to the above said stream of consciousness, is nonetheless so rich with digressions, facts within facts, ideas within ideas, that it creates an overall effect of chaotic freshness memorably depicting an adolescent mind definitely undisciplined and even disturbed (Holden is disturbed in some way) although so vivacious and sparkling.

(Here again everything seems spontaneous and improvised but I am sure Salinger’s text resulted from a good mixture of intuition and clever construction).

Salinger’s novel has been a classic not only of the American literature (and his language is present in most dictionaries of US slang) but it has inspired the beat generation as well as numerous drop-outs who joined the utopian movements of the 1960s up to the present day.

Personally I read it by mere chance when I was 18 (I had it in inheritance from a boy who was leaving an apartment we shared in Ireland) and I was deeply impressed by it. Coming just out of adolescence I probably recognized in there plenty of the insecurities I was living in those days. But young Holden went beyond, to the extent of almost hating all the surrounding world and it was a bit worrying for people (like me), who enjoyed the book so much, to read on newspapers that David Chapman, the person “who assassinated John Lennon, was carrying the book when he was arrested immediately after the murder and referred to it in his statement to police shortly thereafter.” Also “John Hinckley, Jr., who attempted to assassinate US President Ronald Reagan in 1981, was also reported to have been obsessed with the book.” (From Wikipedia: The Catcher in the Rye).

Well, that doesn’t mean that the novel is murder inspiring though certainly by effectively describing the difficulties of a tormented adolescence it is not illogical that some disturbed individual identified himself with the Holden character, finding comfort and inspiration in it and thus feeding his vision against everything and everybody (and refusing to stick to the point naturally becomes a symbol of anarchic revolt against order and self-discipline).

However, also the non psychopath teenager identified himself/herself with Salinger’s character. So the novel became a classic for an entire generation, whether protesting against order and law or not, since adolescence is a more or less difficult period for everyone.

There is, we repeat, a subtle link between digression and the previously mentioned themes of utopia & musical improvisation. Digression as well, going against rationality, can in fact lead to inconclusiveness, i.e. to nowhere, thus unstructuring the logic of discourse – utopia is a Greek word made of ‘ou’(= no) and ‘τόπος’ (= place), so its meaning is actually ‘in no place’.

Summarizing, improvisation is the thin link among the present post and these earlier ones, Digression vs Sticking to the Point and Why Musical Improvisation is Utopian.

Improvisation has been a myth of the counterculture of my generation and of the generations who followed. The idea of improvisation in art (music, literature, theatre etc.) is somewhat connected to social behaviours appeared in the counterculture of the last 50 years. A relationship, in fact, between mental and social anarchy cannot in my view be denied (like I guess it cannot be denied that there is some relationship between the crystalline clarity of Julius Caesar’s writings and his rational conduct and self-control, of which you can read something in this post of ours as well).

It is simple, after all. Facts (and history) are created by people. And people have a mind. Thence there are connections between what we think, read, write and do, whether in our social environment or in art.

(We are not anarchic and we do not belong to the counterculture – although for a couple of years we did, but that was a very long time ago. It can somehow be proven by the fact that we try to get inspiration from our ancient philosophies, which exalted wisdom, rationality and self control. Only ….

Things are not in black and white,
the hues of grey (and colours)
being infinite …

Forgive my silly English poems, it is one of my manias).

Italian version

Other related posts:

Digression vs Sticking to the Point
Why Musical Improvisation is Utopian

Electoral wins and losses have grown increasingly easy to predict… drawing imaginary lines across voters and their seemingly private lives. Woman. Man. Mother. Father. Single. Straight. Gay. Married. Baby Boomer. Small Business Owner. Hunter, er – “Sportsman.” Veteran. They combine characteristics to build little brands. “Soccer Moms.” “Nascar Dads.”

Consultants, more powerful than you may imagine, manipulate enormous amounts of data that include voting habits and consistency, every demographic conceivable. Hard “R” Republicans. Hard “D” Democrats. Graduate degree. No degree. Professional. Service sector.

All of this, and previous election cycle analysis, combines with campaign strategy to produce tiny, virtual countries with predictable populations – responsive to certain language, colors, messages, textures.

Every campaign ad, every ounce of spin provided to the press corps is carefully choreographed to elicit specific response on election night. In my mind, choosing the next president is a bit like seducing a new lover. Especially when it comes to the women’s vote. We want our candidate to want it – and we MUST want him (or her) in return— otherwise, women will just vote “safe.”

It is the electoral equivalent of settling down with the predictable guy. Trading passion for stability. In the wake of 9/11 and the Iraq war – the electorate is hungry for calm. Not peace, because the word infers resolution – something we may never achieve. But a calm, less violent and intrusive time is something many Americans are hungry for.

But which candidate is the “safe” one? Hillary. Hands down. Double entendre, intended. Why Hillary? Because we know how her husband governed. We know what types of folks she will surround herself with. And if the voters are scared, they will vote for the status quo. It is predictable and tangible. Given the historic low approval numbers of President George Walker Bush and the US Congress – women are ready to be reckoned with.

In a nutshell. We are ready for the finale. A word to the powerful consultants, and those who cover this election, this election is about authenticity – but not for the bland reasons you may suspect.

Our society has become increasingly coarse. The pop-tart phenomenon, the heroin-chic rockers, TMZ, reality TV confessional has almost eclipsed our desire for mystery, seduction and courtship. Political punditry is almost grotesque. Folks who have never dropped a piece of literature, worked the phones for a swing precinct, or created questions for a statewide poll, have somehow leaped to the front of the line as “experts.”

Here’s the thing… for those who crave seduction – the last place where we find something elusive and interesting, is election night. For practitioners, it is not the vote counts… it is the personal relationships inside of the political bubble. We map each other… going beyond the Alex Gage Microtargeting Formula… beyond the Jan Van Lohuizen crosstabs… beyond the Swift Boat footage… beyond the issues and responsibilities of governance and… ESCAPE.

Women voters are tired of all the machinations. In 2006, they took scalps on election night. They threw Republicans and all their hypocrites (except for Hastert, who is THANKFULLY stepping down, albeit a year late) out on their collective arse.

2008 will be even more so. We are all voters this cycle. Hillary is definitely beatable. But, whether it is her primary opponents – or a Republican in the General Election – the men running for president have to understand a few things about seduction… Americans need to fall in love again, we are fatigued from the Iraq War… terrorism… and constant sniping. We want inspiring. We want the political equivalent of “The One.”

Barack Obama and Fred Thompson were supposed to be love at first sight. Obama drew comparisons to both John and Robert Kennedy. Thompson was supposed to be the second coming of Reagan. Instead, the men were great at the beginning – but the finale failed to produce a satisfying climax. Maybe the length of the election cycle has spoiled us for enjoying the courtship phase. Life is fast paced. We are all busy.

McCain is past his due date. Rudy Giuliani… is well, a one night stand everyone regrets from 2000.

Mitt Romney is promiscuous when it comes to policy. He’s had a one nighter with every microtarget Pro-Gay Marriage then Anti-gay marriage amendment. Pro-choice, pro-life, anti-gun, pro-gun – remember the varmints! – he’s against socialized medicine but brags about passing a governmental mandate for healthcare. He’s against hot the war in Iraq was prosecuted, but supports the surge, sort of. He can’t take us all to bed. He can’t marry six or seven different policies. It’s against the law to be a polygamist. Just ask Warren Jeffs.

Joe Biden is sexy and safe – but not well known enough to survive. Although I have little doubt, given a chance that he would satisfy the female voter’s appetite for authenticity, gravitas, tangible solutions and charm.

Whether behind the closed curtain in the voting booth, or behind closed bedroom doors… women voters want a little dance, a nice flirt, real desire. There is a hunger for more than wham, bam. And if the male candidates can’t deliver that – women won’t vote for a man. They’ll sign up for the sisterhood and vote Hillary. She’s got Billy, and if women want a promiscuous guy – who better than an old boyfriend to satisfy the craving?

Frankly, 2008 is a lot like the Cell Block Tango from Chicago. Use your imagination to cast the roles. This column has a few hints.

— Media Lizzy

Well… finally, an old anti-War peacenik couple has the very best solution for ending the War in Iraq. A synchronized Global Orgasm on December 22nd. Apparently… this will change the “energy” of the world. I found the site while visiting a lovely blog by a gentleman in Italy.

The Global Orgasm sounded like a much better idea when I thought the Italians came up with it. Italian men might actually be able to make the earth shake and flutter on its axis. Goodness me… there are few things so delicious as a man who can cook, knows his wine – his couture, the accent and still has the rough hands… but I digress…

Global Orgasm is scheduled for the winter solstice. Why do peaceniks always assume they have some corner on the pagan holidays? They just aren’t serious. This isn’t going to give rebirth to the Make Love, Not War movement. Yuck. All those people looked unclean, frumpy and were high on drugs. There is nothing LESS attractive than a naked peacenik. These folks might scare the orgasms away for those relying on visual stimulation.

Somewhere my ancestors are rattling the armor at Drum Castle.

— Media Lizzy